“Extreme Speed” by XTR’s Pepo Rosell

You never thought at Triumph Speed Triple could ever look so good. Extreme Speed by Pepo Rosell is more than just a modern café racer, it actually ticks a lot of the boxes that a lot of modern builders are missing: it’s classic, it’s retro but it’s also a f*cking rocket that’s built for speed and endurance, rather than it’s sterling looks alone. Pepo Rosell is a builder that’s more associated with lovingly built Italian Ducatis rather than the classic British Triumph but when you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter what the donor is, it’s what you do with it.

Taking a 2005 Triumph Speed Triple as the donor, Pepo set to work redesigning the bike, searching for a compromise between classic stylings and modern day performance. To get the weight down, Pepo began by doing away with the unnecessaries, and rebuilding new parts out of lightweight materials. First came the rear subframe, followed by the exquisitely upholstered brown leather seat and tail piece. Next, the stock Triumph fenders were scrapped and replaced with Pepo’s own XTR carbon fiber units, which complement the brand new front fairing, which brings the bodywork more in line with the classic look. The big dome at the front also holds the twin headlights in place, reducing the “love or hate” buy eyes at the front, that the Speed Triple is famous (or infamous) for. This compromise keeps the eyes in place for the fans, but reduces their garishness for the haters.

With the bulk of the bodywork completed, Pepo turned his hands to the all-important aftermarket parts and upgrades. First and foremost, as this bike is café racer inspired, it now accommodates a set of Tomaselli clip ons up front to bring the riding position more in line with his inspiration. Next, the brakes were updated and now wear NG brake discs and are powered by a Discacciati front brake pump; the engine now sports a Rizoma sprocket cover, breathes through a K&N air filter, and the exhaust was swapped for a Zard silencer.

Most of the other bits and pieces were also supplied by Rizoma, including the indicators and the footrests, although the tail light is a Montesa unit. Finally, Pepo added a LIPO battery and repositioned the wiring, before sending it all off for the classic British Racing Green paint job, complete with all the accouterments, by Artenruta.

Although this build is a far cry from some of usual builds here on Gear Heads, it’s one of the few “retro” inspired customs that truly hits the mark. It’s a modern sports bike wrapped in racing history. (Photos by Sergio Cardeña)

I’ve done a bit of work here and there in the industry – I’ve even ridden a few bikes for actual money but what it comes down to is this: I ride bikes, build bikes and occasionally crash ‘em too. I like what I like but that certainly doesn’t make my opinion any more valid than yours…

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